Will's Girl
by Roxanne Wright
Summary: ** Chapter 12 & 13 ** Vaughn learns more about Raven Song - Vaughn finally asks Jess to partner with Will ** Main character is VAUGHN. Will joins the CIA. A new love triangle emerges.
1. The Search

1 Will's Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.  
  
Rating: PG for mild language.  
  
Archive: Please ask first.  
  
Feedback: Appreciated, especially on writing techniques.  
  
Author's Note: This is a sequel to my previous story Tomorrow's Promise (which I'm still working on). You might want to check it out for background, but I think this story can also stand on it's own. Main thing to know is that Jack, Vaughn, and Will rescued Sydney from her mom, Will has decided to go through CIA field agent training, and Vaughn will be his handler.  
  
  
  
Chapter One – The Search  
  
Now that they had a plan for Will's return, Vaughn needed to locate a qualified female agent to go undercover as Will's girlfriend. He needed an experienced, reliable agent because she would be Will's mentor as well as pose as his girlfriend.  
  
He logged on to the personnel database and brought up the search screen. He specified that he needed a female agent no older than 40 with at least five years experience, at least one long-term undercover assignment, and immediate availability.  
  
Not one single record was returned. There were no agents at the LA office that met all his criteria. He shook his head disappointedly, and ranked the importance of his search criteria, indicating that he would accept any agents that met three of his four criteria.  
  
He was disappointed again when only four names appeared on the results screen. His stomach lurched when he read the first name on the list. The agent that best met his criteria would not be available for another two weeks. Funny thing was he didn't know she was available at all.  
  
He clicked on her name and brought up her stats:  
  
Name: Jessica Renee Anderson  
  
Hire date: December 1989  
  
DOB: September 13, 1967  
  
Height: 5'7"  
  
Weight: 140  
  
Hair: Auburn  
  
Eyes: Green  
  
Marital status: Widow  
  
Work experience: 7 successful undercover operations ranging from 3 months to 2 years  
  
Languages: French, Italian, Spanish  
  
Medals: Intelligence Star, Intelligence Commendation, Exceptional Service Medallion (3)  
  
He made a fist and slammed it into his desk. He stormed out of his office and headed straight for Weiss' office down the hall. He didn't bother to knock.  
  
Weiss was on the phone with his back to the door. Vaughn slammed the door behind him and Weiss turned around in his chair with an irritated look on his face. Weiss took one look at Vaughn's face, and ended his phone conversation.  
  
"Let me get back to you on that, okay?" Weiss hung up his phone. Trying to sound casual he said, "Hey, Mike. What's up?"  
  
"Why the hell didn't you tell me Jess completed her op?" Vaughn tried to control his anger.  
  
"I was going to tell you… I just… hadn't got around to it yet," Weiss said.  
  
"Hadn't gotten around to it yet?" Vaughn exclaimed. "Didn't you think that I just might be interested that she completed her mission and made it home safely?"  
  
"Of course, I knew you'd be interested, but…"  
  
Vaughn cut him off, "How long have you known? How long has she been home?" Weiss was reluctant to answer him. "How long, Eric?"  
  
Weiss sighed knowing that Vaughn would not like the answer, "About three months," he said softly.  
  
"Three months!" Vaughn yelled.  
  
"Look!" Weiss said as he stood up and slammed both fists into his desk to try and rein Vaughn in, "You know very well that when an undercover agent returns from a mission everything about the agent and the mission remains classified until debrief and de-programming are complete."  
  
"You should have told me!" Vaughn yelled.  
  
"I couldn't!" Weiss yelled back. "The only reason I was allowed to see her was because she has me listed as next of kin on her records."  
  
Vaughn calmed down a little, "You still should have told me she was safe, Eric."  
  
Weiss eased as well, "She asked me not to."  
  
"What? Why?" Vaughn went from angry to hurt in the blink of an eye.  
  
There was a knock on Weiss' door and another agent stuck his head into the office. "Weiss, we've got that meeting…"  
  
Weiss cut him off, "Yeah, I'll be right there." After the door closed he said to Vaughn, "I'm sorry Mike, but I don't have time to explain right now. Let's go to Murphy's for lunch. I'll stop by your office as soon as my meeting is over." Weiss grabbed a file from his desk and hurried out the door.  
  
Vaughn stood there for a minute with his hands on his hips, shaking his head angrily. 


	2. Weekend in Monterey

1 Will's Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.  
  
Rating: PG for mild language.  
  
Archive: Please ask first.  
  
Feedback: Appreciated, especially on writing techniques.  
  
  
  
Chapter Two – Weekend in Monterey  
  
Back in his office, Vaughn opened up a desk drawer and started searching for something. He knew that it was still there somewhere. Under the packs of gum, covered with renegade paperclips and rubber bands, somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle of his desk drawer, it was still there. Finally his fingers felt the frame, way in the back of his shallow middle drawer -- back where it couldn't be seen. He pulled it out and turned it over. He dusted off the photo with his fingers.  
  
  
  
It was a picture of them taken on the beach in Monterey. It was a bright sunny day. She was standing there in all her glory – eyes shining, silken hair blowing in the wind, bare feet dug into the warm sand. He stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, hands clasped on his elbows, her hands hanging on his forearms. Their heads were tilted towards each other. He had never been that happy.  
  
They had met through Eric, of course. Jess was literally the girl next door. Eric and her had been best friends all their lives. Really more like close siblings than friends -- one stolen kiss under the bleachers at a high school football game proved that with great certainty. They went to the same university, even sharing an apartment their senior year.  
  
From the time they saw their first James Bond movie in fourth grade, they both dreamed of working in intelligence. They both romanticized what a CIA career would be. Both were recruited right out of college. Eric chose officer training, and was placed at the LA office. Jess, always in search of an adrenaline high, went through field training. She showed such potential, the Agency chose to keep her at Langley for specialized training and eventually assigned her to high priority cases.  
  
It was Eric that walked down the aisle to give Jess to her groom, Jeff, and Jess was the matron of honor in Eric's wedding. Eric's wife, Darci, credited Jess with many of Eric's best qualities.  
  
When Jess' husband, also a field agent, died during a particularly messy op, Eric was the only one who could comfort her. She stayed with Eric and Darci for a month. Having no other family, Jess requested a transfer to LA to be closer to her friends. Once in LA she started volunteering for dangerous, long-term, undercover assignments.  
  
Vaughn could still remember the first time he met her. He and Eric had been working cases together for several months, and had started building a friendship. Eric introduced him to Jess at a happy hour.  
  
Vaughn was immediately attracted to her. She was intelligent, genuine, and centered. She was a natural beauty – a soft sensuality that sort of crept up on you. While most women in the bar were dressed up and made up with the obvious intention of catching a man's eye, Jess wore a loose fitting pair of faded Levi's and a modest t-shirt. Her auburn hair was pulled up in a ponytail that was threaded through the back of a baseball cap.  
  
While the sexual tension between was nearly visible, Vaughn was not sure enough of himself to ask her for a date. The more he learned about her, the more certain he was that he could never satisfy her.  
  
By Jess' 30th birthday the two had developed a close friendship, and that gave Vaughn an additional excuse not to try and romance her. At her party, Vaughn parked himself at her side. He drank just enough that night that when he drove her home he told her how he felt. He spent several minutes detailing why he thought they should take the chance and start dating. Only when he had finished his confession did he look at her and realized that she had passed out.  
  
Within a week, Jess was on another mission and Vaughn had nearly a year to ponder what could have been. Once home, the two became closer. Never calling them dates, Vaughn and Jess spent many most of their free time with Eric and Darci. The four of them went to movies, attended sporting events, went out to dinner, and celebrated life's accomplishments together.  
  
The flirtations and sexual tension between Vaughn and Jess grew with each passing week. They were obviously attracted to one another, but neither one would act on their feelings. Eric openly encouraged them. "For Christ's sake, would you two just quit wasting all our time and take your relationship to the bedroom?!"  
  
One spring weekend the four of them took a trip to Monterey. They rented a charming beach house. Mysteriously, the house only had two bedrooms. Vaughn and Jess immediately accused Eric of ulterior motives.  
  
"Think whatever you want, all I know is that there are plenty enough beds in this house to accommodate four adults," Eric said with a sly smile.  
  
That night, Vaughn and Eric made dinner for the girls and they ate on the patio with the ocean as their backdrop. After dinner they sat on the patio watching the sun go down, drinking wine and beer, and talking. It was a special evening for all of them – they shared a lot of laughter and a lot of love.  
  
Vaughn and Jess stayed up talking long after Eric and Darci had gone to bed. It was as if they were both trying to avoid sleep. When they finally headed to bed, Vaughn insisted that Jess sleep in the bedroom and he took the couch.  
  
Vaughn struggled to make himself comfortable on the couch. He didn't bother with sheets or blankets; he was certain that he wouldn't be sleeping much. He often thought about her at night as he lay in bed. It was then that his desire consumed him. Usually the fact that they were in two very separate locations made his lust less threatening. But that night she was close – too close. Just on the other side of the door.  
  
He could no longer deny his feelings. He had to be with her even if it ruined their friendship. He got up and walked purposefully towards her bedroom. He didn't bother to knock on her door. He opened the door, and the minute he stepped one foot into the room Jess sat straight up in the bed and looked at him. She had not been able to sleep either.  
  
For a moment, they just stared at one another. There was just enough moonlight for him to see her face, the curve of her neck, and the swell of her breasts under the sheet. Feeling his need, Jess released the sheet and let it slide down her torso coming to rest in her lap. His breath caught in his throat. She let her eyes travel freely from his face down over his bare chest and muscular arms, over his abs, and slowly down legs.  
  
He stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind him. As he walked towards the bed she pushed herself up into a kneeling position near the edge. They brought their bodies close without touching as they had so many times before, savoring one last moment of intense longing. First contact was his hand on the back of her neck. She moaned softly. He pressed his lips to hers. Starting soft and gentle they escalated quickly to deep, passionate kisses. Soon the kisses were not enough for either of them. Vaughn grabbed her around the waist and in one smooth movement pulled her up into him, resting her on his hips. She wrapped her long legs around him, put a hand in his hair, and pulled him into another kiss.  
  
Afterward, they lay together, totally exhausted – physically and emotionally. Vaughn was lying partially on her, with his head resting on her stomach and one arm on each side of her torso. She started stroking his hair, running her fingers through it, exploring him. He was so overwhelmed by the intimacy he felt at that moment that he started crying. Slowly and silently tears slid down his face. After a few tears had landed on her stomach, Jess lifted his head and looked at his face.  
  
"Mike," she said tenderly, "What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm just overwhelmed," he replied honestly. "Jess, I've never experienced anything like this before in my life."  
  
Her eyes suddenly grew sad, "Mike, love me as a friend, take me as your lover, but don't fall in love with me," she said softly. Tears started to build up in her eyes.  
  
He searched her eyes for further explanation but found none. Then he kissed her softly, passionately. He could not lie to her. He could not tell her that he would not fall in love with her, because he already had. 


	3. Raven Song

1 Will's Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.  
  
Rating: PG for mild language.  
  
Archive: Please ask first.  
  
Feedback: Appreciated, especially on writing techniques.  
  
  
  
1.1 Chapter Three – Raven Song  
  
Murphy's Pub was a small dive three blocks away from the office. It was a traditional pub that served only two draft beers and no wine coolers. Murphy's had the best burgers in the city. Most agency employees bypassed the pub in favor of trendy chain restaurants and bars. And that was the main reason Vaughn and Weiss liked the place. The only Agency people that frequented the bar were older agents and officers that minded their own business but would be first to volunteer if you needed help.  
  
On the short walk to the pub, Weiss tried to make small talk. Vaughn was too angry to pretend to be interested. They walked into Murphy's and headed for their favorite table. They greeted several regulars and as they passed the bar, Murphy, the owner asked, "Your usual boys?"  
  
The second his butt hit the vinyl chair, Vaughn said, "Okay, start explaining."  
  
"Could you be more specific?" Weiss asked.  
  
"You ass! You've been wrapped up in the bureaucracy too long – looking only to answer specific questions." The two just stared at each other – a stand off of sorts. "Just start talking, and I'll let you know if I have any questions."  
  
Weiss sighed heavily and said, "I need a beer. Where's my beer?" Just then Murph walked over and put two glasses of beer down on the table. As Weiss drank he could see Vaughn scowling at him, urging him to get on with it.  
  
He set his glass down, "I don't know where to start," Weiss said honestly.  
  
"How about explaining why Jess hasn't contacted me yet. And why she didn't even want you to tell me."  
  
"Well, there are several reasons, but I'm not sure you're going to understand any of them," Weiss said taking another drink of his beer.  
  
"Try me," Vaughn said in a steely tone.  
  
"She planning on coming to see you as soon as she is able…" Weiss grimaced when he heard how that sounded.  
  
"Is she hurt?" Vaughn was suddenly concerned.  
  
Weiss stammered, "No. Well, yes. I mean she was injured, but she's totally recovered now. At least physically."  
  
Just then Murph appeared with a burger for each of them. "Anything else I can get you fellas?"  
  
"Yeah," Weiss said. He lifted his beer glass and drained it. "I'll take another," he said as he handed the glass to Murph.  
  
"Me too," Vaughn said and emptied his glass also.  
  
Neither man paid any attention to the burger in front of him.  
  
"At least physically?" Vaughn returned to the previous conversation. "So, she's having problems…" Vaughn didn't know how to put it into kind words.  
  
"She's messed up, man," Weiss shook his head sadly. "I mean, she'd never fully recovered from losing Jeff. But now that is the least of her problems."  
  
"What the hell happened on that op?"  
  
"You know I can't tell you details, hell, I don't even know all the details myself," Weiss said. "Here's what I know: Code named Raven Song, the target was an Italian business man who was suspected of selling arms to Muslim extremists. She was supposed to verify whether he was dealing and if he was she was supposed to identify as many buyers as she could."  
  
"So, she had to get close to this guy," Vaughn said.  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"And to do that, she became his girlfriend," Vaughn's stomach started to churn.  
  
Weiss nodded, "More than that. She became his wife."  
  
"What?!" Vaughn started feeling physically sick.  
  
Murph showed up and set their two fresh beers on the table. Once Murph was out of earshot, Weiss answered his question. "She had no choice. This guy fell hard for her. He proposed to her after just two months. She put him off as long as she could, but he pushed and they were married about 9 months into the op."  
  
Vaughn pushed his plate away and took a deep drink of beer. "I don't understand," he said. "Jess was always against getting involved in those types of missions. She said that she could never use sex like that… no matter how important the op."  
  
"Yes, she was. And she still is," Weiss said.  
  
"So, why did she accept the mission?" Vaughn was afraid of what the answer would be. He prayed that he had not driven her to it.  
  
"Because of you," Weiss said simply. Vaughn grimaced. "Because she loves you," Weiss added.  
  
"What?" Vaughn was stunned. "That doesn't make any sense."  
  
Weiss sighed. "The first time Geary came to her with the mission, she turned it down. Geary supported her, but this was a high priority mission with lots of office politics behind it. They had reconnaissance that indicated Jess was just the type of woman this man liked. Eventually Devlin talked to her. He made it quiet clear that she was either going to take the assignment or her career in intelligence was over. She agreed to do it if it would be her last mission – if they would let her move to an officer position. Devlin agreed – even put it in writing."  
  
Vaughn was silent for a while. Finally he asked, "Why didn't she just tell me all of this?"  
  
"She didn't want you waiting for her incase she didn't come home. She didn't want to tell what was really going on because she knew that you would wait for her – you would put your entire personal life on hold until she returned. She didn't think that was fair to you. And she felt that if she could distance herself from you that you wouldn't be affected if she ended up dead."  
  
"She should have given me the choice!" Vaughn was angry and hurt. "How could you let her do that?"  
  
"I told her that she should be truthful with you. She made her own decision, said that I didn't know what it was like to be waiting for someone that never comes home."  
  
They sat in sad silence for several minutes. Weiss broke the silence. "Look Mike, she's coming home this weekend, and I'm certain that she will come see you." Vaughn nodded his head. "And there's something else I think you should know about the mission that I doubt she will tell you."  
  
"What?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"The target, Giovanni Espasi… well, he was brutal." Weiss paused trying to decide if Vaughn wanted any more details.  
  
Vaughn hung his head slightly and closed his eyes, "He hit her?"  
  
"Yeah, and then some. It started shortly after they were married. He was insanely jealous. He…" Weiss had a hard time finishing his sentence.  
  
Vaughn held up his hand to indicate that he had heard enough. He was already sick to his stomach. His emotions were already raging. If Weiss had said one word more, he would have lost control. 


	4. Another Search

1 Will's Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.  
  
Rating: PG for mild language.  
  
Archive: Please ask first.  
  
Feedback: Appreciated, especially on writing techniques.  
  
  
  
1.1 Chapter 4 – Another Search  
  
The weekend before she was leaving for the mission, Vaughn rented the same beach house in Monterey where they had first come together. He picked her up and whisked her away without telling her where they were going. He filled the house with flowers and candles. He arranged for a gourmet meal to be waiting for them. He romanced her all weekend. They had a great time when they weren't thinking about the fact that they would soon be worlds apart.  
  
Saturday evening, Vaughn topped off a moonlight walk a long the beach by slipping a jewelry box in her hand when she wasn't expecting it.  
  
Jess stopped dead in her tracks. "What's this?" she asked.  
  
"Open it and see," he said smiling.  
  
She hesitated. She held the box in her hands and brushed her fingers across the felt. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but Vaughn cut her off, "Please, just open it."  
  
Jess tried to smile at him as she opened the box. It was a necklace. A heart shaped diamond on a white gold chain. She fingered the delicate chain. "Thank you, Mike," she said without looking at him.  
  
"It was the chain that made me buy it. It looks so fragile and beautiful and the jeweler said that it is one of the strongest chains made. It made me think of you." Vaughn took the necklace from the box and put it around her neck. He turned her back around to look at her. Jess was already playing with the diamond. "It looks beautiful," he said, "But not nearly as beautiful as you." He kissed her passionately.  
  
After the kiss, Vaughn held her close to his chest. "I love you," he whispered.  
  
Jess pulled away from him, "Mike, I…"  
  
"I know, you told me not to fall in love with you, Jess, but it's too late. It was too late the first time you told me. I love you, and it doesn't matter to me whether you love me or not. I just want you to know that I love you."  
  
"Mike, I… I…" Jess started crying and leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. He took her inside and together they made the fierce, passionate love.  
  
They were silent most of the way home; both were preoccupied with that fact that in less than 24 hours she would be gone.  
  
After Vaughn was done unpacking the car, he went into the bedroom to find Jess. But all he found was the heart necklace, back in its box, sitting on his dresser. There was a note tucked under the box. The note was simple and very clear:  
  
'Mike,  
  
Please don't wait for me.  
  
Jess"  
  
He searched for her that night – he checked her place, Weiss' house, her favorite park, and their favorite coffee house. She was nowhere to be found. He even checked the office.  
  
After spending all night searching for her, he tried her house one more time early the next morning. The moving men were already there packing her stuff for storage. Lots of movers, no Jess. He sat down dejectedly on her couch. He took out the necklace that he had been carrying with him all night. He looked at it one last time, closed the box, and left it on the coffee table. 


	5. Behind the Eight Ball

**Will's Girl**

**Disclaimer:** Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone.  Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines.  No harm intended.

**Rating:** PG for mild language.

**Archive**: Please ask first.

**Feedback:** If you're interested in seeing more chapters, please write a review and let me know. If no one is reading, then I'm not going to bother with updates. Thanks! 

Chapter 5 – Behind the Eight Ball

Vaughn and Weiss did not return to work that afternoon.  They stayed at Murph's and drank a lot.  By 1:30 they started buying pitchers instead of wasting time with single glasses.  They didn't talk much.  They were unable to think of anything besides Jess.  

Weiss didn't want to talk about it anymore because he knew Jess would be mad just at what he had already told Vaughn.  And if they started talking about her again, Vaughn might start asking questions that he didn't want to answer.  He felt like was betraying both of them.

Vaughn did want to talk about it more, but he was afraid of what he would learn.  He tried to focus on the fact that she loved him and that she took the assignment so that she would eventually be free to love him 24-7.  Whenever he would start to feel good about that, he inevitably started thinking about what she had endured and started feeling mad and guilty.  

Vaughn really felt guilty when his mind would occasionally wander to Sydney.  What he felt for Sydney was real.  He hadn't been attracted to any other women except Sydney while Jess was in Italy.  He couldn't even say that he had been attracted to Alice.  Alice had been good company, and had been a convenient distraction from Jess, but he never had any emotional investment in her.  That's probably why he had such an easy time breaking up with her.

But Sydney was special.  Some days she was the only thing that made him want to get out of bed.  He was wildly attracted to her, and he thought that she felt the same way.  If things were just a little different he wouldn't have hesitated to start courting her.

It was 5:30 and Weiss had seen all the Jeopardy on the tavern's TV that he could handle.  "You wanna shoot some pool?" he asked Vaughn.  Vaughn looked up from his beer glass needing more motivation.  "Loser buys the next pitcher."

"Now you're talking!" Vaughn said as he slid off the chair and headed to the back of the tavern where there were three broken-down, coin-fed pool tables.

Considering how much beer they each had consumed, they spent plenty of time chasing the balls around the table.  The silence had become uncomfortable for both of them.  

Finally, after a particularly poor shot, Vaughn asked, "So, you've seen her?"

Weiss couldn't look Vaughn in the eyes.  He looked around the table for an easy shot.  "Yes."

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Weiss asked as he leaned over to take a shot at the 10-ball.

"How does she look?" Vaughn asked with a tone that told Weiss he wasn't going to play games.

Weiss missed his shot, stood up, and sighed heavily.  "Not real good.  She lost nearly 20 pounds, Espasi forced her to get several ugly tattoos, and…" Weiss paused.

Vaughn looked at Weiss, not sure if he was ready to hear the rest but knowing he had to, "What?" he asked impatiently.

"He cut her."  Vaughn felt like he had just been punched in the stomach.  "On her face."  Tears started stinging Vaughn's eyes.  "There's a scar, but it's not that bad really.  It's more of an emotional thing for her – a constant reminder of what happened."

Even though it wasn't his turn, Weiss lined up another shot.  It was quite clear Vaughn would not be moving from his spot for a while.  After a failed attempt on the 13, Weiss stood up, walked to the nearby table and took a drink of his beer.

 He watched Vaughn for several moments debating on whether to say anything more.  "So, what do you think you'll say to Jess when you see her?"  Weiss asked finally.

Vaughn supported himself on his pool cue, and rested his forehead against it.  "Jesus, I wish I knew."

"Do you still love her?" Weiss asked.

He made eye contact with Weiss for the first time in hours, "Yes, of course I do."

Weiss smiled for the first time in hours. "Then tell her **that** when you see her," he said.

Vaughn became agitated and started to line up a shot.  "It's just not that easy," he said.  He missed his shot in a spectacular way and sent several balls ricocheting around the table.

"So, explain it to me," Weiss said eyeing his next shot.

"It's Sydney," Vaughn said sadly.  Weiss dropped his head over his cue and shook his head.  "Eric, I'm drawn to her.  I think about her all the time.  I don't know if it's fair to Jess to just jump right back into a relationship with her when I'm so attracted to another woman… another woman that I see on a regular basis… another woman that I think is also attracted to me."

Weiss took his shot with a firm stroke.  The 12 ball struck the back of the corner pocket sounding like a gunshot.  He stood up and looked Mike in the eye.  

"Mike, did the thought ever occur to you that the reason you are so attracted to Sydney is because she reminds you of Jess?"

"No!" Vaughn shook his head.  "No, that's not it.  That's not the reason… " Vaughn trailed off as he thought more about what Weiss had said.

"Oh, yeah, there's the light bulb!" Weiss said pointing his finger at Vaughn.  "A first-class agent, totally competent and greatly admired.  Can kick anyone's ass and is still feminine as hell.  Unattainable at least temporarily," Weiss paused to see if his words were making an impression.  "Jesus, Mike, they've even both been widowed."  

Vaughn considered correcting Weiss with the fact that Sydney was never married, but his point was still the same.

Weiss quickly lined up another shot and sunk the 13.  "And they both need you, Mike," Weiss said without looking at him.  He lined up the 8.  "Only," Weiss took a couple practice strokes.  "If you ask me…"  Weiss drove the 8-ball into the side pocket to win the game.  "One needs you more than the other."

  


**Author's Note:** If you're interested in seeing more chapters, please write a review and let me know. If no one is reading, then I'm not going to bother with updates. Thanks! 


	6. Living on the Edge

**Will's Girl**

**Disclaimer:** Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone.  Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines.  No harm intended.

The title of this chapter is the title of an Aerosmith song.  Again, no harm intended.

**Rating:** PG for mild language.

**Archive**: Please ask first.

**Feedback:** If you're interested in seeing more chapters, please write a review and let me know. If no one is reading, then I'm not going to bother with updates. Thanks!

Chapter 6 – Living on the Edge 

Vaughn woke up the next morning with an incredible hangover.  He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol that was making him feel so sick or if it was the weight of everything he had learned the previous day.

Luckily, it was Saturday and he didn't have to go to work.  He tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't.  He kept playing over the conversations with Weiss.  He tried to imagine what Jess looked like right now.  What she was feeling.  What she would say to him the first time they saw each other.

Finally around noon, he stumbled out of bed and managed to take a quick shower.  It didn't help him feel any better – physically or mentally.  He spent the rest of the day lying on the couch watching TV and lying on a lounge on his patio.  He watched as his neighbors worked on their yards and gardens.  The neighbor that owned the lot directly behind his especially intrigued him.  She had an amazing garden, but he never saw her out working on it or out enjoying it.  Vaughn was certain that he spent more time admiring it than she did. 

Vaughn was still out on his patio staring at his neighbor's garden when his cell phone rang.  He had unplugged his house line before going to bed the previous night.  But, he kept his cell phone on because Sydney was due back from her latest mission and he knew she would be calling.

Still he hesitated before he answering the phone.  He was ripped apart by his feelings for Sydney and Jess.  They were the last two people on the face of the earth that he wanted to see right now.

But duty overruled his emotions. He answered on the third ring, "Vaughn here."

"Vaughn."  It was Sydney, her voice sounding warm and inviting. "I'm back, I've got the items you requested."  Even though both of their cell phones were considered secure, they were still purposely vague.

"Great," he said trying to sound enthusiastic.  "Let's meet at 8:30."

Sydney already knew they were meeting at the warehouse, they had set the location when they were going her counter-mission.

"Hey, is something wrong, Vaughn?"

"How could she pick up on that just by the sound of my voice?" Vaughn asked himself.  He was disgusted at his performance.  He was an intelligence officer and he couldn't even mask his emotions over the phone.  "Nope, nothing wrong here.  Business as usual."  He had tried to make his voice reassuring, but knew that he failed miserably.

There was silence on Sydney's end.  He could picture her biting her lip trying to decide if she should push him or not.  "Okay," she said finally.  "See you tonight."

He pressed the end button on his phone, folded it up, and tossed it as far as he could.  It landed near the back of his property.  Donovan ran to fetch it, brought it back and dropped it in his lap.  Vaughn pretended not to notice.

*****

Vaughn waited as long as he could before leaving his house.  Usually he was excited to meet with Sydney, especially when she was returning from a mission.  But tonight was different.  Tonight he was confused.  Tonight he was feeling sad.  Tonight he had a feeling of dread.  Tonight he felt like he had been cheating on Sydney.

"How could my life change so drastically in 48 hours?" he asked himself as he drove to the warehouse.  "And when exactly did it become so bizarre?"  

He thought back.  Was it when he and Jess went from friends to lovers?  Was it when Jess left for her mission?  When Sydney walked in his office the first time?  When he followed Sydney to Taipei and nearly drowned?  Was it that time in seventh grade when he asked Kara Johnson to the dance and she laughed in his face?  Vaughn was certain that if he could isolate the exact moment where it all became so twisted that he could somehow fix it.

She was waiting for him – her SUV was already in the parking lot.  He slowly walked into the warehouse.  She was sitting on a crate and smiled brightly when she saw him.  "Hi!" she greeted warmly.

"Hey," he replied.  He stopped several feet from her, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Here's the copy of the data." Sydney held out two CD-ROMs that contained data on a new type of biological weapon being developed by a company in Adir.

Vaughn was standing so far away from her that he had to move closer just to take the CDs.  "Excellent work," he said as he took them from her hand and moved back to his original position.  "Thank you," he said, as he looked her in the eyes for the first time.  

He quickly looked away – down at the CDs he held in his hand.  "Did you have any trouble?" he asked while still focusing on the CDs.  He wanted to keep the conversation work related for as long as possible. 

"No, not really.  Just the usual guards with guns, sophisticated security systems, guard dogs with huge teeth…" Sydney knew that Vaughn was not listening to anything she was saying.  "And then, Satan himself sat next to me on the flight home."

"Mmmm, that's good," was all Vaughn could say.

"Agent Vaughn!" Sydney scolded him.  Vaughn felt like he 13 and his mother had just caught him with a Playboy magazine.  He snapped his head up to look at her, his cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

"You didn't hear a word I said!  What is going on with you?" Sydney asked.

"The moment of truth," Vaughn said to himself.  "Do I tell her or brush the whole thing off?"  He was silent for a moment as he looked into her eyes.  Those damned gorgeous, dark brown eyes that could make him do just about anything.  Her eyes were pleading with him to tell her the truth.

He walked over and sat down on a crate beside her just so he wouldn't have to look into her eyes anymore.  "I've found an agent to go undercover as Will's girlfriend."

Sydney was immediately apprehensive just based on Vaughn's tone.  "A good agent?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, she's the best we've got," Vaughn said looking down at his feet.

"Vaughn, if she's that good, why are you acting so weird?" Sydney tried to make eye contact with him, but he would not look at her.

"Oh no, Syd," he looked her in the eyes to try and reassure her.  "She really is the best agent for the assignment.  It's just…" Vaughn returned his eyes to his feet.  "She's not available for another two weeks, so we'll have to delay Will's return."

Sydney was relived, "No big deal.  What's most important is Will's safety… and training."

"Yeah, definitely," Vaughn said still distracted by how to continue.  Sydney waited, sensing that it was more complicated than that.  Vaughn struggled to find the right words.  

Finally he continued, "I know this agent.  We're good friends." He shot a sidelong glance at Sydney and saw that she was watching him intently.  He quickly turned his eyes away from her and stared at the floor.  "Actually, we were dating when she left for her last mission."  He felt her gaze shift from him to the floor.  "We were pretty serious."

"Oh," Sydney replied softly.  She felt like Vaughn had kicked her in the stomach.  How many times had she told herself that she could not fall in love with Vaughn?  How many times had she convinced herself that it was the intense nature of their relationship that made her think she was in love with him?  How often had she tried to prepare herself for a moment just like this one?  Hundreds of times – she had told herself all those things and more hundreds of times.  Apparently none of it had worked.

After an incredibly long, awkward silence Sydney said, "So, she has completed her mission, she's back in LA and you're seeing her again?"  She did her best to sound casual.

"Yes, she's completed her mission.  Yes, she's back in LA.  And, I don't know how to answer your last question."  They looked at each other.  "I haven't seen her for two years.  She has been through a lot in that time, things that I can't even imagine.  She could be a totally different person.

"And me too.  I've been through a lot in the last two years."  He lowered his voice, "Especially the last year or so."

Sydney gave him a shy smile, knowing that he was talking about her.  All sorts of responses went through her head.  But she knew what she had to say.

She changed her entire attitude.  She sat up straight, put on a sincere smile, and said "You know Vaughn, I think you're making this entirely too complex.  Did you guys have a good relationship?"

"Yes," he said softly.

"Do you still care for her?"

"Yes."

"Were you happier when you were with her than when you were apart from her?"

Vaughn smiled as he remembered a lazy Sunday afternoon when she started a food fight with him and how after chasing her around the house they ended up making love on the kitchen floor.  "Yes, I was much happier when she was with me."

Sydney fought back her tears and concentrated on keeping her voice steady.  "Then you owe it to yourself to try again."

Vaughn stared at her solemnly.  "You make it sound so simple."

"It is, Vaughn," she said.  "You want her, she wants you.  You try again."

"You of all people should know that things are never that simple in our world.  I mean, she's the perfect agent for this op, but if I request her she would be out of my life for at least another six months, maybe an entire year.  

"Plus I'd be her handler.  Can you imagine those meetings, Syd?  You, me, Will, and Jess all sitting in here."  He made a circular motion with his hand to demonstrate his point.  "**That **could keep the entire CIA psychiatric staff busy for **months**!"  Sydney laughed at the thought of it.

After a moment Sydney said, "I'm definitely no relationship expert, Vaughn.  But, I've experienced plenty of loss in my life.  If I had another chance at happiness, like the one in front of you right now, I'd grab it with both hands and hang on for dear life."  She meant what she said, but still the tears started to fill her eyes.

Vaughn got sarcastic, "Hey, look everybody, it's Doctor Phil!"

Sydney laughed through her tears.  Vaughn smiled for the first time in hours.  "I'm serious," Sydney said.  "Listen to your heart, Vaughn."  She wanted to reach over and touch his chest over his heart, but decided it was not in his best interest.

  


**Author's Note:** If you're interested in seeing more chapters, please write a review and let me know. If no one is reading, then I'm not going to bother with updates. Thanks! 


	7. Amazing

Will's Girl 

**Disclaimer:** Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone.  Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines.  No harm intended.

The title of this chapter is the title of an Aerosmith song and the lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from that song.  Again, no harm intended.

**Rating:** PG for mild language.

**Archive**: Please ask first.

**Feedback:** If you're interested in seeing more chapters, please write a review and let me know. If no one is reading, then I'm not going to bother with updates. Thanks!

Chapter 7 – Amazing

'I kept the right ones out  
And the wrongs in   
Had an angel of mercy to see me through all my sins  
There were times in my life when I was going insane   
Trying to make it through the rain  
  
So sick and tired of living a lie  
Amazing   
With the blink of an eye you finally see the light  
Amazing  
That when the moment arrives you know you'll be alright'  
***** 

Vaughn spent the rest of the weekend entirely alone, with the exception of his dog, Donovan, and a couple different delivery boys – one pizza and one Chinese.  He kept his house line unplugged, and after Weiss' third call, he shut his cell phone off too.  He spent a lot of his time sitting on his patio drinking beer. 

He returned to work on Monday, but he was unable to concentrate on even the simplest things.  Weiss stopped by early to ask if he was okay.  He assured Weiss that he was fine, and then managed to avoid him for the rest of the day.

Two blocks away from his house, he spotted her car.  The silver BMW was sitting in front of his house as it had been so many times in the past.  His chest tightened and his heart skipped a beat.

He walked into his house and spotted her on the patio immediately.  No matter how hard he tried to control his feelings, it was no use.  His stomach fluttered, his pulse increased, his palms started sweating just at the sight of her.  

He wondered briefly how she got into his house, but then laughed at himself.  She was a super-spy; his pitiful locks were no match for her.

She was sitting in a chair, her bare feet propped up on the matching ottoman.  Her back was to him, and he was thankful of that.  It gave him time to compose himself.  Donovan was curled up next to her chair.  It was as if the two years of separation were erased.

He put down the bag of groceries he was carrying.  He took off his jacket, loosened his tie, undid the top button of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves.  He thought about taking time to change into shorts, but then decided that would probably be rude.  

He settled for a cold beer.  He opened the refrigerator to find that she had brought a six of his favorite beer.  He smiled.  Five left.  He took one beer, hesitated and then grabbed another one.  He opened both bottles and headed for the patio door.

He paused with his hand on the door handle and took a deep breath.  He had no plan, he was just going to walk out there and follow his heart as Sydney had advised.

She did not turn around when she heard the door slide open and close.  She knew that he had been inside the house for a while, and she knew that he was probably debating whether he should come out to the patio or turn tail and run the opposite direction.  She didn't blame him.

He walked out on to the patio, paused briefly at her side, and then sat in the chair nearest to her.  He followed her gaze across his yard to the neighbor lady's garden.

Finally she turned her head just enough to make eye contact, "Hi," she said sheepishly.

"Hi," he replied giving her a glance out of the corner of his eye.  He was startled by how thin she looked.  She was pale and looked fragile, as if she had been suffering from some type of illness.  And her eyes were different – they were haunted.

He knew from experience that if he looked into her eyes too long he would lose himself.  If she wanted him, he would be there for her.  If she needed him, he would take care of her.  He turned his head away to look at the garden again.

She also turned her eyes back to the garden.  "You know, I've been sitting here for some time now, trying to come up with a clever greeting…" she said.

He glanced at her with a tiny smile, "And that was the best you could come up with?"

"Yeah," she made eye contact with him and chuckled a little.  "Pretty sad, huh?"

Vaughn did not reply to that, but held out one of the beers for her, "I brought you a cold one."

She reached out to take it, "Thanks," she said.  When she put her hand on the bottle, her fingers touched his.  Both tensed slightly and she quickly took the beer from him.

They both looked back at the garden.  Jess took a long drink of beer.  Vaughn followed suit.  "So then, I started thinking about what I would say after the clever greeting."

"I sure hope it's better," Vaughn teased.

She smiled, still staring at the garden, "What in the world can I say to somebody I haven't seen for two years?  Someone that I have had absolutely no contact with for two years," she glanced at him.  "And I realized a couple of things…"

He continued to stare straight ahead. "Oh yeah?  What?" he was trying to sound casual – trying not to let on that he was hanging on every word.

"I realized that I would tell you the truth.  And I would tell you the truth because I feel like I never left you.  You have been with me every day of the past two years."

Vaughn dropped his head and pressed his eyelids together trying to stop the tears from forming.  If he had come up with a plan for how he would handle this situation, crying this quickly would not have been part of it.

Suddenly Jess was kneeling down on the patio beside him, her hand on his leg.  She wanted to lift his head up so that she could look in his eyes, but she didn't.

"Mike, I've done nothing these past two years except for think about you and how I left you.  And I promised myself if I lived through it I would come to you…" her voice broke and she paused for a moment.  "… and tell you that I'm so sorry…" 

Tears started rolling down her face, "and… that I… I love you…" She paused again then said, "I always have."

He still couldn't look into her eyes, especially now that it would be impossible to hide his tears.  

"Mike, I was wrong.  I should have told you all this before I left.  At the time I thought that is was better to let you go – that it wasn't fair to ask you to wait for me.  But now I know that in trying to spare you pain I actually caused you pain."

She was crying softly now.  "The mission scared me.  Even before I left, I had a feeling that I wouldn't be coming back.  So, that night when I left here, I wrote you a letter -- a letter explaining everything – my feelings, my motives for taking the mission, and my wishes for you.  I gave the letter to Eric and told him to give it to you if I didn't make it home."

She paused again, desperate for him to look at her.  But he kept his head down and his eyes tightly closed.  After several moments she said, "I don't blame you, Mike.  If you don't love me any more or don't want to be with me… I gave you every reason in the world to move on with your life and forget about me.  I didn't come here to try and convince you to…" she tried to find the right words, "…that we should… that it could be like it was before.

"I just wanted you to know how I felt… and I wanted to thank you.  Some days you were the only thing that kept me going – you gave me hope in a hopeless situation.  Thank you, Mike."

She stood up grabbing his hand and bringing it with her.  "I'll always love you, Mike," she whispered.  She pressed an envelope in his hand and left so quickly it seemed that she disappeared into thin air.

He finally opened his eyes and the tears flooded his cheeks.  He turned the envelope over in his hand and looked at his name displayed in her handwriting.  He realized that it was the letter she had written two years ago.  

He stood up quickly, letting the envelope fall to the ground.  He ran into the house and caught her just as she was opening the front door.

"Wait, Jess," Vaughn said.  She stopped at his request, but didn't turn around to face him.  He moved close to her, grabbed one of her hands and pulled her so that she had to face him.  He looked into her eyes for a long time.  Even though they were filled with tears and reflected the fear and pain she had experienced in Italy, they were still the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.  

And her face… just exactly as he had remembered with the exception of the faint three inch scar running from her left ear, down her cheek and ending abruptly at her jaw line.  He put his free hand on the left side of her face – where the scar was.  At his soft touch, she closed her eyes pushing several tears down her face.

He could find no words to describe what he was feeling, so he leaned down and kissed her.  Everything around them seemed to stop.  The only thing that existed in that moment was the two of them.  She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him to her.  She held him in a tight embrace as their kiss lengthened.

Finally he pulled back to look in her eyes again.  "Jess, I never stopped loving you.  Not one day."  She started crying again.  "Please stop crying Jess," he said softly.

"I can't," she said as choked back a sob.

"Why?"

"I'm just… I'm just so overwhelmed, Mike."

He smiled remembering his words to her that first night in Monterey.  He kissed her again.  As their kisses became more passionate, he started to maneuver her back to his bedroom.  Once there, they began to impatiently pull at each other's clothes.  He laid her down on his bed and she pulled him down on top of her.  

He had a fleeting thought about the undercover assignment but quickly pushed it out of his mind.  He could not bear the thought of being parted from her again. 

*****

After they made love, they held each other for a long time.  He felt something poking into his chest and moved a hand down to find out what it was.  He recognized it immediately.  It was the necklace he had given her. 

"You've already got your things out of storage?" he asked.

"Just the car," she said.

"How did you get this?" he asked as he gave a little tug on the heart shaped diamond.

She put her hand over his, "This was never in storage.  I kept it with me."

He remembered very clearly how he had carried the necklace with him all night as he looked for her, and when he had given up his search he left the necklace sitting on her coffee table.  He assumed that after he left the movers packed it up with the rest of her stuff.  

He smiled and held her even tighter.

**Author's Note:** If you're interested in seeing more chapters, please write a review and let me know. If no one is reading, then I'm not going to bother with updates. Thanks! 


	8. The Morning After

**Will's Girl**

**Disclaimer:** Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone.  Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines.  No harm intended.

**Rating:** PG for mild language.

**Archive**: Please ask first.

**Feedback:** Welcomed, especially if you like the story enough for me to keep writing it.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to all who gave me feedback on this story.  You motivated me to continue on this story.

Chapter Eight – The Morning After 

The next morning, Vaughn woke up before Jess did.  He watched her as she slept.  She looked so peaceful.  He wondered if she had been able to sleep like this while she was in Italy.  From what he knew about Raven Song, he doubted it.

While he was enjoying just lying there watching her, he had a few things he needed to do.  He got up, pulled on a pair of shorts and walked out to the kitchen to make some coffee.  Then, he made a call to the office to tell them that he was taking the rest of the week off.  He knew that this would never work, but they were going to have to come and drag him out of his house to get him back to work this week.  The only thing he wanted to do was to be with Jess.

He unplugged his phone and turned off his cell.  He poured himself a cup of coffee and headed for the patio.  Donovan followed him.  His patio was shaded from the morning sun and made a wonderful place to read the paper and eat breakfast.  But today, it wasn't the paper he was going to read.

He sat down in his chair and looked down at the letter.  It was lying where he had dropped it the previous evening.  He exchanged his coffee cup for the letter.  He ran his finger under the flap, opening it as gently as he could.  He let the envelope drop to his lap as he took out two pages of cream stationary.  Her carefully written script spoke to him across their two-year separation.

_Dearest Mike,_

_I had a bad feeling about this assignment from the very beginning.  And the fact that you are reading this letter means that my intuition was right and I won't be coming home.  Still, there are a few things that I want you to know, and for starters I want to apologize for not telling you these things in person._

_I love you, Mike.  I did everything I could to keep from falling in love with you but nothing worked.  I've loved you for so long, that I have forgotten what it was like to love anyone else.  Know that I thought of you every day we were apart, and my last thoughts were most certainly of you._

_Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  I did everything I could to get out of it.  They gave me no choice.  I would take the assignment or be transferred to a station in some God-forsaken country where I would be forgotten.  I should have just walked but I was scared.  What in the world would I have done with my life?  I was certainly not cut out to be an accountant, or an engineer, or a housewife._

_Don't mourn too long, Mike.  Find peace in the fact that you were the one that made my life worth living.  And please, go out as soon as possible and find someone to spend the rest of your life with.  Don't ever make the mistake I did.  When you fall in love again, tell that lucky woman how you feel.  Never take a single day for granted._

_All my love,_

_Jess_

The tears were streaming down his face by the time finished her letter.  He dropped his head and cried freely.  If Jess had been killed during the op, he would be reading this letter and thinking about Sydney.  "Tell that lucky woman how you feel."  He kept hearing Jess speak those words to him in his mind.  Would he take her advice?  Would he run to Sydney that day and tell her that he loved her?  Or would he be broken hearted again as he had when Jess had left him?  Would the intensity of his lost love overshadow all his other feelings?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jess standing on the patio watching him.  She was wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of running shorts that threatened to fall off her now slender body at any moment.

He tried to dry his tears.  "How long have you been there?" he asked as he folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

"Not long," she said, her voice breaking and tears visible in her eyes.

He stood up and walked to her.  He took both of her hands in his and gave her a long, gentle kiss.  He broke their embrace to look into her eyes.  "You know I would never have forgiven you if you hadn't come home and left me with just this letter, don't you?"

"Mike, I…" Jess started to explain and then realized as a smile formed on his face that he was teasing.  She smiled back at him.

"How about I fix you some breakfast?" Vaughn asked eyeing her.  She nodded in agreement.  "How about waffles with blueberries, biscuits and gravy, an omelet or two, followed by a milkshake chaser?"

Jess made a face.  "What?"

"We need to fatten you up, Agent Anderson."  Jess laughed.  "I'm not kidding," Vaughn said as he put his hands on her hips and started playfully twisting her.  "I'm afraid I'm going to break you!"

He took her hand and led her into the house.


	9. Huge Coincidence

Will's Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.  
  
Rating: PG for mild language.  
  
Archive: Please ask first.  
  
Feedback: Welcomed, especially if you like the story enough for me to keep writing it.  
  
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that has given me feedback on this story. You've motivated me to continue. Also, I haven't done much research. Please pardon any misinformation.  
  
  
  
Chapter Nine - Operation Huge Coincidence  
  
At SD-6 headquarters, Sloane had called a briefing. Jack arrived at the meeting early, as is his habit, and found Sydney waiting for him. The look on Sydney's face told him that she had something private she wanted to talk about. He took out his frequency-jamming pen, and set his watch alarm for 60 seconds.  
  
"What's up?" Jack asked.  
  
"Do you know the agent that they're assigning to Will's case?"  
  
"I didn't know they had selected anybody," Jack said truthfully.  
  
"At my last meeting with Vaughn he was talking about an agent, an agent that was coming off a two year undercover operation. Jess."  
  
"Jessica Anderson," Jack nodded. "She's an excellent choice. I didn't realize that she had completed her last mission. That is very fortunate for Tippin, and for the agency."  
  
"So, she's really that good?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Yes, she is," Jack said flatly. "She's the best female field agent we've got in LA." Jack paused trying to determine what exactly was bothering Sydney. "Do you have a problem with Anderson being assigned to the case?"  
  
Sydney made a face, "No, no, of course not. I don't even know her; how could I have a problem with her?  
  
"I just want to make sure that they provide Will with someone who can protect him and get him used to this wreck of a life that we all share."  
  
Jack didn't believe her, but wasn't able to ask any more questions because Sloane entered the conference room followed closely by Dixon and Marshall.  
  
Jack slipped the top back on the pen and returned it to his jacket pocket. "Well, that should take care of that, I would say." Sydney nodded to keep the illusion in tact.  
  
The five took a few moments for greetings, and then Sloane brought up a photo of a middle-aged man on the viewing monitors. "This is Dr. Vladimir Belyacov, a prominent psychiatrist at Kaliningrad University. For the past eight years, he has been working on a study of intelligence officers. What traits distinguish those in the intelligence field from other people, what traits make one intelligence officer better than another, among other things. Of most importance to us, and to the entire intelligence community, is a companion study that he is working on regarding double agents. A profile of what double agents have in common, some believe that he has come up with a mathematical formula that can be used to predict whether an intelligence officer has a tendency for the ultimate double cross."  
  
Both Sydney and Jack started straight at Sloane. Jack said, "That's an interesting supposition that human nature can be predicted by a mathematic formal. Who participated in the study?"  
  
"They say that agents from 14 different countries participated, but the majority of them where US agents that went to work for the KGB," Sloane answered.  
  
Sloane changed the screen to show a photograph of a university building. "Belyacov's office and lab are in this building under minimal security. You two need to get the report, and destroy all remaining traces of the study and its data.  
  
"Now Marshall will brief you on the op tech," Sloane said as he sat down.  
  
Marshall stood up looked at Sydney, and asked, "May I have your hand, Agent Bristow?" Sydney extended her right hand. Marshall took her hand into his and Sydney couldn't help but notice how sweaty it was. "Here you have an ordinary, ring, right?" Marshall presented a gold ring with a large, fiery ruby. "Wrong. This ring, while spectacularly beautiful, well, not nearly as beautiful as you, Agent Bristow," Marshall started to stutter as he slid the ring her finger. He started to blush as he realized that the ring was too small for her finger. "Uh, well, lets try the other hand," Marshall said. Marshall had no trouble getting the ring on her left hand. "Yes, well, there you go. A gorgeous ring. Could be an engagement ring. although most engagement rings are diamonds. but that's not to say that a woman couldn't have any type of engagement ring she wanted. Did you know that Princess Diana's ring was actually a sapphire surrounded by diamonds?" Sydney smiled at Marshall's antics, and Dixon was having a hard time keeping from laughing.  
  
"Marshall, this is op tech, not Jeopardy," Sloane said becoming impatient.  
  
"Uh, yeah. well, of course it is," Marshall made eye contact with Sydney then blushed immediately and looked down at the table. "Well, so, the ring is also a micro-recorder. To activate it turn the ruby clockwise. To play a recording, turn the ruby counter-clockwise.  
  
"Ruskofinov's office is protected with voice recognition and fingerprint recognition. If you can get a sample of his voice recorded with this ring, you can use this," Marshall placed a contraption about the size of a butter dish on the table, "To transfer his voice onto this chip," Marshall pointed to a thin wafer on the contraption. "Then, when you're ready to get into the office, you swallow the wafer. The wafer will dissolve almost immediately, but the chemicals in the wafer will bond with your vocal cords to simulate Ruskofinov's voice. Temporarily, of course."  
  
"That's amazing, Marshall," Sydney said. "How long does it last?"  
  
"So far, it's been lasting about ten minutes," Marshall replied blushing at her compliment. He put small box on the table. "This is the same fingerprint kit that you used last year in Jakarta. Get his fingerprint, then use this kit to create a latex mold." Sydney and Dixon nodded.  
  
Jack spoke for the first time, "I'm sure that I don't have to point out that this is a high risk op, considering that you will be in K- directorate's back yard." Sydney and Dixon both nodded solemnly. "This op must be by the book."  
  
"You leave early tomorrow morning," Sloane said as he got up. "Jack will brief you on your cover. Good luck." 


	10. Dog House

Will's Girl  
  
Disclaimer: Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone. Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines. No harm intended.  
  
Rating: PG for mild language.  
  
Archive: Please ask first.  
  
Feedback: Welcomed, especially if you like the story enough for me to keep writing it.  
  
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone that has given me feedback on this story. You've motivated me to continue. Also, I haven't done much research. Please pardon any misinformation.  
  
Chapter 10 -Dog House  
  
Vaughn, Jess, and Donovan came home from their afternoon in the park to find Weiss sitting on the front porch.  
  
"He looks pissed," Jess observed.  
  
"I'm sure it's about work," Vaughn said. "Am I really so important to the company that I can't take a few days off?"  
  
"Apparently, you are," Jess said as she got out of his Grand Cherokee.  
  
"Hey, Eric!" Jess greeted him enthusiastically hoping to ease the tension.  
  
Weiss stood up and smiled at Jess as she came over to hug him.  
  
"You're looking great, Jess!" he said as he gave her a big bear hug. "At least he can do something right." While keeping Jess in an embrace, Weiss addressed Vaughn, "Turned your cell off, didn't you?"  
  
Vaughn sighed as he walked past him, "I'm taking some vacation, man. I'm sure the company won't miss me for a few days." He unlocked the door to his house and he and Donovan ambled in.  
  
Jess broke the hug, grabbed Weiss on the arm and pulled him towards the open door. "C'mon Eric, lets go have a beer. Do you want to stay for supper?" Jess was doing her best to distract him from business talk. She didn't want to hear anything about the company right now. She wasn't ready.  
  
Weiss grabbed his portfolio off the porch and let Jess pull him inside. Once inside, Jess pulled off his suit jacket and loosened his tie for him. "You need to relax, Eric. We're not at the office, you know." She smiled at him and walked towards the kitchen.  
  
Weiss watched her for a moment and smiled a little himself. He was so glad that she was home and happy again. Weiss' smile faded as he turned to Vaughn. "The company might not miss you, buddy, but Bristow does," he said quietly.  
  
Vaughn's smile transformed into a concerned frown at the mention of Sydney. "What's happened?"  
  
"She's leaving early tomorrow morning on a rather unusual mission. in Russia."  
  
"You're not serious," he said. "Can't you come up with her counter mission and meet with her? I'm just." he glanced towards the kitchen where Jess was starting to fix supper. "I don't know if."  
  
Weiss moved closer to Vaughn, lowered his voice and said, "Look, if you're going to tell me that you're still confused about your feelings for Sydney, or even worse, your feelings for Jess, I don't want to hear it. I mean, I'd just love to chew your ass about how unfair this all is to Jess, but now is not the time." Weiss paused. Vaughn's guilt was apparent in his face and in the way he held his body. Weiss narrowed his eyes and shook his head angrily.  
  
"So, here's the thing," Weiss continued. "We have about four hours to come up with a counter mission, run it by Devlin, and meet with Sydney. And don't ask me to meet with her, because you know she won't like that," Weiss paused. "And I don't want to get involved in your messy love life any more than I already am."  
  
Vaughn dropped his eyes to the floor and walked into the kitchen. Weiss followed. "Hey Jess," Vaughn stood behind her while she was chopping vegetables and put his hands on her hips. "Do you mind if we do a little work in here?" Vaughn was sensitive to the fact that Jess didn't want to talk about work.  
  
"As long as you don't mind if I don't pay any attention to you," she replied.  
  
"No problem," Vaughn said. He kissed her lightly on the neck then headed for the table in the breakfast nook.  
  
As Weiss passed by Jess he said, "Are you sure she can be trusted?"  
  
Without looking, Jess landed a back kick on Weiss' hip just hard enough to push him off balance. Weiss chuckled as he tried to keep from falling. "Hey!" he exclaimed playfully.  
  
Over the next 45 minutes, Weiss detailed Sydney's mission and he and Vaughn discussed the counter mission. Jess fixed supper, brought it to the table, opened a bottle of wine, and poured them each a glass. She sat down in her chair, propped her elbows on the table, interlaced her fingers, and rested her chin on her hands. She took turns staring at Weiss and then Vaughn.  
  
Weiss and Vaughn tried to continue with their discussion, but finally gave in. "What?" Weiss asked as both men turned to look at her.  
  
Her eyes lit up. "Incase you hadn't noticed, supper is ready," she said.  
  
Weiss and Vaughn exchanged a glance. That was not what they had expected. They smiled, shrugged, and picked up their forks.  
  
Jess waited until they nearly had their first bite of pasta in their mouths and said, "Did either of you two intelligence officers consider the possibility that this mission you've been talking about might be a trap?"  
  
Weiss and Vaughn dropped their forks back to their plates as they thought about what Jess said. Jess smiled smugly, picked up her fork, and started eating. The two men looked at each other.  
  
Weiss looked back at Jess, "I thought you weren't paying any attention to us."  
  
"It's hard to shake that operative training," Jess said between mouthfuls.  
  
"Do you really think it is a possibility - that this is a set up?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"I would have a contingency plan if I were you," Jess said casually.  
  
***** Vaughn was the early one this time. He waited impatiently for Sydney at the warehouse. He was nervous. He was nervous about Sydney's mission, and he was nervous about seeing her. He had tried not to think about her too much while he was with Jess. He had hoped that his feelings for Sydney would slowly disappear the more he was with Jess, but they hadn't. Weiss' words kept running through his mind.  
  
Vaughn was startled when he looked up and saw Sydney standing about 10 feet away from him, staring at him. She must have slipped in while he was wallowing in his confusion.  
  
"Hey," Vaughn said.  
  
"Hi," she replied as she approached him. Vaughn tried to read her. He thought he was getting pretty good at understanding her nonverbal communication, but looking at her now he questioned himself. Was she sad? Or was he just projecting his feelings?  
  
She interrupted his thoughts, "So, did you take my advice?" She smiled at him -- that big, dimple-bearing grin that he never saw enough of. He couldn't stop himself from grinning back at her. "Ahhh, you don't even have to answer that question, Agent Vaughn. That boyish blush says it all!"  
  
She was still smiling at him. He laughed quietly, "As it turns out, that was very good advice."  
  
"Of course it was!" Sydney said pretending to be indignant. They stared at each other for awhile, then Sydney said, "And?"  
  
Vaughn was reluctant to take this conversation much farther. "And things are going well. It is great to have her back." he let his thought trail off.  
  
"I'm happy for you," Sydney said truthfully.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
After a short, rather awkward silence Sydney said, "So, she's onboard with Will's re-introduction?"  
  
"Uh, well, I haven't exactly brought that up yet," Vaughn said. "She's not ready. I mean she hasn't wanted to talk about work yet. But, I'm going to ask her soon," Vaughn said weakly.  
  
"Good. You do think she'll take it, don't you?" Sydney was unsure if it was her concern over Will or her desire to put some distance between Vaughn and his girlfriend that made her so anxious.  
  
"I'm pretty sure she will."  
  
After a few more moments of awkward silence, Sydney said, "What's the counter mission?"  
  
Vaughn handed Sydney a large envelope. "We want the study and all the data, of course. We created a phony report on paper and on disk. Both are in the envelope."  
  
Sydney nodded, "Switch reports, give SD6 the fake and bring you the real one. Sounds too easy."  
  
"Well, it just might be," Vaughn said. Sydney looked at him quizzically. "We think there's a possibility that this is a trap - K directorate or possibly your mother might be looking to grab a couple of SD6 agents."  
  
"What? Why? I don't think. Dad, Sloane, no one said anything about that," Sydney stammered.  
  
"That's because they didn't think of it. Honestly, we didn't think of it either. It was Jess. But after she said something, it made sense," Vaughn paused. Sydney still couldn't get past his statement about Jess being the one to suggest a trap. Vaughn continued, "I even talked to your father about it. He agreed that it is a possibility."  
  
"So, what am I supposed to do?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Well, first of all, just being aware should make you better able to handle anything that might go down. But, we will have a team in place - undercover -- that will back you up. Here," Vaughn handed her a small object.  
  
Sydney turned it over in her hand. It was a button. "A transmitter?" she asked.  
  
"Actually it's a transponder. It is totally untraceable because you are the only one that can activate it, and because it can only be traced by one incredibly secure computer in our office.  
  
"But, Syd, you understand that it will be our last resort. We want you to handle it if at all possible. If our team has to go in, we'll probably have to pull you and Dixon too."  
  
Sydney nodded understanding exactly what her life and Dixon's life would become if the CIA had to intervene. 


	11. Old Friend

**Will's Girl**

**Disclaimer:** Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone.  Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines.  No harm intended.

**Rating:** PG for mild language.

**Feedback:** Make my day -- leave me a review.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone that has given me feedback on this story.  You've motivated me to continue.  Also, I haven't done much research.  Please pardon any misinformation.

**Chapter Eleven – Old Friend**

Kaliningrad, Russia

Sydney fingered the button on her black, leather jacket.  She looked out the passenger window of the van at the psychology department building at Kaliningrad University.

"Syd, you ready?"

She turned to face him, "Dixon, I've got a bad feeling about this.  Something's not right."

Dixon studied her face, "Do you want to abort?"

Sydney looked back at the building nervously then back to Dixon, "No, just be on high alert, and be extra careful, okay?"  She forced a smile.

"You got it," Dixon said.  "Meet you back here in 15."

They got out of the van and headed in separate directions.  Dixon was supposed to lure the small university security force away from the psychology department building, and Sydney would retrieve the report.

Sydney easily picked the lock on the front door of the building and slipped inside.  She knew from their surveillance that two security guards patrolled the building all night.  She hid in an alcove near the front door.

Her cover was to pose as a doctoral psychology candidate from the US that was interested in Dr. Belyacov's work and sat in on one of his lectures.  That gave her ample opportunity to get Belyacov's voice on tape and when she met with him after his class, she was able to lift a fingerprint off of his briefcase.  The voice chip was in one pocket and the latex fingerprint was in the other.

It wasn't long before Sydney heard a small riot out on the lawn in front of the building.  She heard the squawk of walkie-talkies, and soon one guard ran by her and out the door.  A few moments later the second guard left the building as well.

Sydney made her way up to Belyacov's office on the third floor.  The voice chip worked just as Marshall had said, and Sydney made her way into the office.  After a cursory glance around the room, she went straight to the locked file cabinet behind the desk.  That lock was easier to defeat than the building door.  She opened one of the drawers, and using a small flashlight, she started looking through the files.

She didn't find anything in the first drawer and was opening the second one when she heard a tiny sound behind her.  Her instincts took over.  She dropped to the floor and swung her leg around behind her in a leg sweep.  Her leg made contact with someone and the person fell to the ground.  Sydney saw a taser gun go sliding across the floor.

Sydney swiped the beam of her flashlight across the figure on the floor.  A young man, tall, sturdy build, blond hair… it was Sark!  As Sydney moved towards him she scanned the room again looking for others.  She saw none, but found that fact hard to believe.

Sydney lifted her foot to kick Sark squarely on the chest.  Sark grabbed her foot and twisted it forcefully.  Sydney had no choice but to follow the twist with her entire    body.  She spun through the air and landed a few feet from Sark on her stomach.  

Sark was on top of her before she could even catch a breath.  He laid his entire body on top of hers effectively pinning her down with his weight.  He grabbed her left arm and twisted it behind her back.  Sydney turned her head to the left so she could breathe.  The thought of him lying on top of her made her sick to her stomach, but she tried to focus on the fight.

He brought his head down, hovering millimeters above her face.  An evil smile spread over his face.  "Ah, Sydney, my love," Sark whispered in her ear, "I'm awfully glad that SD-6 was kind enough to send _you_.  I do love my job, but _this_," he pressed his body into her and applied upward pressure to her left arm, "This is just too good to be true."  He touched his lips to her ear lightly – not so much a kiss but a show of his power over her at that moment.  

"I hope you feel the same after I kick your ass," Sydney said through clenched teeth.

"Hmmm…" Sark purred.  He brushed her hair off of her face and away from her neck.  He moved his face to the back of her neck, his breath falling steadily against her skin.  "You smell delicious," he said.  He applied more pressure to her arm as he ran his tongue up her neck and lightly bit her.

Sydney's muscles tensed.  Sark laughed softly.  "Sydney, why won't you let me take you away from all of this?  Do you really have any loyalty to SD-6 or the CIA?  You know that either one of them would betray you in a heartbeat.  Our organization is different.  Well," he paused momentarily, "We're a family.  And you, you're already family.  Literally." 

Sydney refused to play his game.  "There is no report, is there?  This was all about getting me here," she said.

"Oh, there's a report, love," Sark whispered, "But Belyacov's data is flawed and his conclusion is more creative writing than scientific findings."

Sark's weight was oppressive.  Sydney tried to move and was rewarded with more pressure on her arm.  "Okay, Sydney, we're going to get up together and walk out of this building."

Sark got up and pulled her with him keeping her to his body.  He put his right hand on her shoulder to get more control.  He pushed her towards that door.  Sydney brought the heel of her boot down on Sark's foot hard enough to break several bones.  

"Bloody hell!" he howled.  Sark loosened his grip on her momentarily and that was the opening she needed.  She punched her elbow into Sark's solar plexus.  Sark let go of her and doubled over in pain.  She turned, squared her body up to him, and swung her right leg across Sark's head sending him to the floor instantly.  

Sydney started running for the door.  When she opened the door, she found four men with pistols waiting for her.  Figuring that these men were taking orders from her mother and would not actually hurt her, she attacked them.  She had knocked one out when she heard a shot fired.  She looked down to see where she had been hit, but as a second shot rang out, she realized that she was not the target.  A third shot was fired, and as the final thug fell to the ground, Sydney saw Dixon at the end of the hallway.

"Let's go Syd!" he yelled.

As she started running towards Dixon, she heard Sark yelling from the doorway of the office, "Sydney!  You're endangering the lives of everyone you know by running away!  Your mother is not a patient woman, and she is getting tired of this chase!"

*****

Sydney and Dixon knew that they could not return to the van, and ran nearly a mile before finding a vehicle that they could hot wire.  Dixon drove towards the train station.

"So, the whole thing was a trap?" Dixon asked.

"I think so," Sydney said.  "Sark said that Belyacov did a study, but I don't believe him."  

"Your intuition was right on tonight," Dixon noted.

"I wish it wasn't," Sydney said, knowing that it was not her intuition that was right but Vaughn's girlfriend's.  "Dixon, how did you know that I needed help?  I was never able to get to my transmitter."

"I was doing the drunk and disorderly act to occupy the guards.  But they wouldn't play the game, they just attacked me.  And they were good fighters.  I knew then that they were not just university security guards."

They were silent for a while.  "Thanks, Dixon" Sydney said.

"My pleasure, Syd."


	12. Too Much Information

**Will's Girl**

**Disclaimer:** Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone.  Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines.  No harm intended.

**Rating:** PG for mild language.

**Feedback:** Make my day – please leave a review.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone that has left me reviews so far!

**Chapter Twelve – Too Much Information**

It was late by the time Vaughn made it home that Sunday night.  He had met with Sydney for a debriefing on the Kaliningrad mission.  He went directly to the refrigerator to get a beer.  He changed his mind about the beer when he saw freshly opened bottle of Merlot and an empty wine glass sitting on the table. 

He had planned on changing out of his suit and then going to find Jess, most probably on the patio.  He had planned on asking her to go undercover with Will.  But when he saw the folder lying on the table next to the wine, his plans changed drastically.  He looked at the red letters stamped across the file folder: Classified.  He knew what was in the folder without opening it.

He took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie.  He poured himself a glass of wine and walked over to the patio door.  She was not on the patio but on the lawn, doing yoga.  He watched her in the soft glow of the garden lanterns she had recently added to his landscape.  

He had tried to share her love of yoga, but he was never able to appreciate it as she did.  Watching her now, he wished he had tried harder.  She looked so strong, graceful, and peaceful as she moved through the poses.  

She'd been living with him for nearly two weeks, and outside of the one evening when she had suggested that Sydney's mission was a trap, they had not discussed work.  She would not share anything about her mission even if he asked her direct questions.  They had argued over it the previous night.  He told her he felt like she was shutting him out of her life.  Both of them had gone to sleep angry.

He sighed as he sat down at the table.  He would have preferred that she _talked _with him about this, but he understood that would be incredibly difficult… for both of them.  He took a large drink of wine and opened the folder.  

It was a copy of Jess' official op report on Raven Song.  The more he read, the sicker he became.  He read about how she got settled in Palermo, Italy and how she got herself introduced to Espasi.  He read about how Espasi had courted her and how she got her first intell on his arms network.  He read about how she was forced to marry him or abandon the mission.  He read about how Espasi had changed after they were married.  How she became a virtual prisoner in his house.  She was not allowed to leave the villa alone and she could no longer contact her handler in Rome.  How she gradually began to learn more about Espasi's operation and his clients and how she had to commit everything to memory because anything else was too dangerous.

He read about how Espasi had dictated how she dressed and paraded her around like a prize.  And then how he would go into a rage if he caught any man even looking at her.  How he would blame her and accuse her of cheating on him and how he would punish her for her supposed betrayal.

Vaughn made it only halfway through the report before he became so disgusted that he closed the folder and slid it across the table.  He had been so involved in the report that he hadn't realized that Jess was now standing at the opposite side of the table.  She put her hand down to stop the folder from falling to the floor. 

He took a few deep breaths to try and quell his nausea and calm his mind.  He found it difficult to look her in the eyes.  He was almost ashamed that he had forced her share this with him.

"Jess, I… I'm sorry," was all he could say.

Jess was impassive, "Did you read all of it?"  Vaughn shook his head.  She walked closer to him, bringing the folder with her.  "Finish it, Mike."  Jess paused briefly then said, "Read the rest of it."  She set the folder squarely in front of him, paused to look into his eyes, and then walked out of the room and down the hallway towards the bedroom.

Vaughn sat there alone at the table pondering what her motive was for insisting he read the whole thing.  Was she trying to punish him for not trusting her?  Did she think that it would help him to understand her?  Was there something significant in the remaining pages of the report?

He looked over his shoulder to see the bedroom light go on.  No matter what her reason was, this time he would trust her without questioning.  He opened the folder and continued to read.

He read about how Espasi's jealousy and violence increased over the months.  How he had his name tattooed on the small of her back, around her ankle, and around her left ring finger – a wedding band that she could never be rid of.  Vaughn had seen the tattoos, of course, or at least what was left of them.  She had the one on her hand and the one on her ankle removed, but her skin would always look different in those places.  The tattoo on the small of her back had been altered into a harmless grouping of scrolls and flourishes so that his name was no longer visible.

He read about how 18 months into the mission, Jess became aware of a new man working for Espasi.  She noticed that he kept an eye on her in a very covert manner.  She knew that he was an agent sent in by her handler.  He read about how she witnessed Espasi kill one of his employees because he thought that she was having an affair with him.  And how Espasi had his newest employee, the CIA agent, kill the man to prove his loyalty.

He read how Espasi became more brutal and what had happened that finally made Jess activate her transmitter and call for extraction.  He read about how the other undercover agent pulled her out in the midst of one of Espasi's elaborate parties . . . How just a few yards away from the extraction team Espasi and some of his men had caught up with them.  Vaughn read about how the other agent had given his life protecting Jess, and how Espasi, five of his men, and another CIA agent had died before it was all over.

The remaining text of the report detailed Espasi's operation and the buyers that Jess was able to identify.  Attached to the back of the report were pages of surveillance photos of Jess and Espasi.  He stared at the photos taken at the wedding.  It was hard for him to see her next another man, especially _that_ man.  She was absolutely gorgeous in the straight, long, white wedding gown.  That was before she had lost the weight, before the worst of her nightmare had begun.  That was the way he had remembered her.  His heart ached for her.

He finished his glass of wine and went to join her in the bedroom.  She was reading when he came in and sat down on the bed.  She put her book aside and looked at him.

"Did you finish it?" she asked no longer impassive.  He nodded.  "Did you find what you were looking for?"  He nodded again.  "Do you have any questions?"  Vaughn shook his head.

"Good, because I still don't want to talk about it.  But if it is important to you, Mike, I'll do it.  I'll discuss it all in detail.  But, I need you to do one thing for me," Jess said.

"Anything," Vaughn said.

"Don't feel sorry for me.  Don't pity me.  I was doing my job.  I knew what I was getting into, and I made my own decisions.  I could have asked for extraction at any time, but I didn't." Jess paused as a tear escaped her eye.  "I was afraid that you would start treating me differently if you knew the details of the mission.  I don't want you to be with me because you feel sorry for me.  I want you to be with me because you love me."

Vaughn reached out for her and pulled her into his arms.  When he had her in a protective embrace with her head resting against his neck, he said, "Jess, I do love you.  You're the most amazing woman I've ever known."

*****

The next morning was Monday – Jess' first day back in the office.  They were up early because neither one of them could sleep.  Jess couldn't sleep because she was nervous about returning to work; Vaughn couldn't sleep because he was nervous about asking Jess to work on Will's case.  But he knew he had to ask her before they went into the office, before she met with her handler, Sam Geary.  She had never indicated to him that she was interested in leaving operations, even though Weiss had told him that was part of the deal she had with Devlin.

They searched for comfort in each others arms.  After making love, Vaughn made breakfast and they ate on the patio.  He waited until she had finished eating before bringing the assignment up.

"Hey, Sydney wanted me to thank you.  You were right, it was a trap," Vaughn said trying to ease into the conversation.

"So, everything went well?" she asked.

"Besides the fact that she had a confrontation with a man she hates, it went well.  You saved Sydney and Dixon a lot of trouble."

"I was just doing my job," she said.

"No, you were doing _my_ job," he replied with a smile.  "But speaking of your job, are you dreading going back to work?"

"Dreading is too strong a word – I guess the best description would be anxious.  It's really tough to return to the office after a long undercover op.  For the past two years I've been somebody else – a whole different person.  Now I'm supposed to go back to work and be Agent Anderson.  It's a tough transition under any circumstances but with everything that happened it is even more difficult.   Raven Song changed me forever.  Now I have to reconcile that and get back in the game."  

"So, you're going to stay in ops?" he asked.

"I'm staying in ops, but I've requested an officer position," Jess said smiling.  "I'm ready for more office, and less danger."  She didn't anticipate his disappointed look and asked, "What is that look for?  I thought you would be happy that I would be around more -- no more long term under cover ops."

"Of course I'm happy about that.  It's just that… I've got to…"  The concern on her face grew with each of his failed attempts to find the right words.  "Look Jess, this is a really hard thing for me to do.  Please don't say anything until I get it all out."  Jess nodded her agreement, bracing herself for what he was going to say next.

"You know about SD-6, right?"

"Some," she answered apprehensively.

"Sydney and her father, Jack, are working with us to bring down SD-6.  They've accomplished a lot, but there's still a lot left to do.  If we could bring down SD-6 we could make a difference in our nation as well as others.  We have a chance to make a difference, Jess."  Vaughn paused to try and gauge her feelings.  She was still apprehensive, but he had to continue.

This past spring, one of Sydney's civilian friends got pulled into the SD-6 web.  He had the choice of entering witness protection or join the company.  He chose the company.  He did extremely well in training, all things considered, and he chose to come back to LA and work on the SD-6 case by going back to his old life."

Jess interrupted, "So, he's going undercover by returning to his life?  That's bizarre."

"Yes, it is.  We're still not sure if SD-6 or K-directorate or anybody else is interested in him, so we have undercover agents on him around the clock.  The operation is becoming costly and time intensive.  So the decision was made to send in an undercover agent to be his girlfriend." Her face was shrouded in disbelief.  "This case is so important on so many levels, we need an experienced undercover agent that can protect Will and at the same time mentor him.  Jess, you're that agent."

Jess answered quickly and coldly, "Find someone else."

"There is no one else that even comes close to the qualifications that you have Jess, " desperation filled Vaughn's voice, "The last thing I want right now is for you to leave on another mission, and I definitely don't want to be responsible for it.  But Will is relying on me to give him the best we've got.  He trusts me.

"And, it won't be like Raven Song.  The op is mild, you won't have to maintain the identity 24-7, and you and I will still get to see each other." 

She frowned at him knowing that seeing each other when she was undercover would be dangerous for all involved.  "Well, at least we'd see each other at meetings and briefings."

"So, let me get this straight, not only are you asking me to work your op which would separate us for another…" she cocked her head and asked, "How long would this op run?"

Vaughn knew she wouldn't like the answer, "six to twelve months."

"Six to twelve!" she exclaimed.  "We'd be separated for another six to twelve months?" she glared at him.  He nodded minutely. "And in addition to all that **you** would be my handler?" she asked.  He nodded again.  "Wow, things must have really changed since I've been gone," she said sarcastically.

"I know it sounds crazy," Vaughn said.

"Well if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck," Jess interrupted him.

"Jess, Eric is the only one that knows about you and me," Vaughn said.  "We can make this work, I know we can.  You've done much more than this on a daily basis for the past two years."

Jess sighed heavily, "Even if I were interested in this op, it would be a terrible idea for you to be my handler.  It's a _huge_ conflict of interest, Mike.  It could only end badly.  Haven't you already figured that out with Sydney?"

Vaughn felt like he just got hit with one of her roundhouse kicks.  "What?!" 

She leaned back in her chair.  "How could you not know that I would pick up on _that_ Mike?  I'm a freakin' CIA agent!" she paused a beat in between each word for emphasis.  "It's my job to observe human behavior and pick up on subtle cues – the tone of the voice, the stolen glances, body language, and the slight rush of color to the cheeks.  Mike, I'm very good at my job."

Vaughn was dumbfounded.  "Sydney and I… we're just… we've never…"

Jess cut him off, "It's okay, Mike, you don't have to justify anything to me.  Maybe something is going on between you, maybe not.  My point here is that your feelings for her exceed that of a handler."  Jess sat back up on the edge of her chair.  "Tell me that your feelings for her haven't made your job, and her job, more difficult."

Vaughn looked her in the eyes and thought back over the past year and a half.  "I can't."

"And the fact that you have feelings for both her and I makes the whole thing even more ridiculous!  Are you working towards the lifetime achievement award in bizarre situations or something?"

Vaughn propped his elbows up on the table and then let his head drop heavily into his hands.  He tried to collect his thoughts.  Finally he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

"Jess, I've thought about this long and hard.  I know this is not the best solution for you and I…"

"Or Sydney," Jess added.

Vaughn conceded,  "Or Sydney.  But, this _is_ the best solution for Will and for the company."

"You're some piece of work, Agent Vaughn," she said shaking her head sadly.  As she stood up she said, "I need some time and some space to think about this."  Jess turned and opened the patio door.

Vaughn stood up hastily, "Will you be home for supper tonight?" he called after her.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.  

And then she was gone.


	13. Leap of Faith

**Will's Girl**

**Disclaimer:** Everything Alias is the property of JJ Abrams, Bad Robot Productions, ABC, and Touchstone.  Please consider this a humble tribute to the genius of the Alias characters and plotlines.  No harm intended.

**Rating:** PG for mild language.

**Feedback:** Make my day -- please leave a review.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone that has left reviews so far.

Chapter Thirteen – Leap of Faith 

The gym in the LA office took up an entire floor and included a full-sized pool and running track.  Weiss found Jess in one of the smaller workout rooms kicking the crap out of an 80 lb. hanging bag.  He watched her work for a while.  He marveled at her strength, speed, and accuracy.  Wearing a tank t-shirt, the standard gray gym shorts and a pair of New Balance tennis shoes, Weiss was able to see every ripple of her muscles as she worked out.

Finally he interrupted her, "Hey, what did that bag ever do to you?"  He walked towards her, but she didn't stop her assault on the bag.

In the midst of a spinning back kick Jess said, "Did he send you?"

Weiss stopped just out of the reach of her kicks.  "Who?  Mike?"

"Yes, Mike," Jess said as she showered the bag with punches.

"No," Weiss said shaking his head.  "I just wanted to see how your first day back was going.  And see if I could take you out for lunch.  After a shower, of course."

Jess gave the bag one more sidekick, then planted both feet on the floor, put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"Okay, so it's obvious that your first day back is not going well," Weiss said.  Jess continued her glare.  Weiss stuck his hands in his pockets, "So, what's up?"  By this time he already knew what was up.

Jess sighed angrily and tilted her head to the side.  She stared at him silently.  Once it became obvious that she was not going to play his game, Weiss asked, "Tippin?"

"I've always said you were an Einstein," Jess said pointing at him.  She turned her back on him and walked over to a stool in the corner.  She took her bottle of water off the stool and took a long drink.

"So, he asked you to work the case?" he asked as he cautiously approached her.

"This morning," she replied.

After a few moments Weiss asked, "Are you going to do it?"

Jess scowled at him.  "Have you all lost your minds?  I mean, I know that Mike is crazy, but are you crazy too?  Are you suggesting that I should seriously consider this op?"

Weiss shook his head, "A nice fluffy assignment to finish your operations career on, what's so crazy about that?  Do you really want your last memory of ops to be Espasi?"

Jess winced when Weiss said his name.  "Six to twelve months, Eric.  I don't think I'm ready to …" her voice was filled with sadness.  Then she suddenly became irritated again, "Did you know that he would be my handler?  If I took the assignment, he thinks it would be perfectly fine to stay on the case."

"Okay, I'll admit that does cause some complications, but it's doable.  No one knows that you guys are…"

"I don't care what anybody else knows!" she barked.  "It is a conflict of interest!  We'd all be screwed: the company, me, Bristow, Tippin, and most of all Mike!"  

Jess had thrown out the bait and Weiss took it without thinking.  "Sydney?  What are you talking about?"

Jess glared at him.  "Eric, did you honestly think that I wouldn't catch on to what's going on with him?  Mike has feelings for Bristow that go far beyond a professional agent-handler relationship."

Weiss stammered, "I don't… but it could never… he loves **you**, Jess, I'm sure of that."

Jess held up her hand to stop him.  "All the more reason not to be my handler.  If something goes down, how could Mike make a rational decision?"  Weiss stared blankly at her.  "Let me put it a different way, if he had to save me or her, who do you think he would choose?"

Weiss knew she was right.  He lowered his voice, "The fact of the matter is Jess, that this is a highly sensitive operation.  Very few officers know about it, and we're not looking to bring in any more.  Already we've found one mole that was specifically going after intell on our SD-6 investigation.  The Alliance, K-directorate, they're incredibly powerful.  There could be more moles.  The fewer people involved in this, the better."

Jess considered what he had said.  After thinking about it for a few moments she spoke, "You said _we_.  Are you part of the team?"

"Yeah, I'm Mike's back up in addition to…" as Weiss saw a smile forming on her face he realized where she was headed.  "No!  **No** way!  Talk about a conflict of interest!"

"You're his back up anyway.  You just said that yourself," she cornered him.

"No. No frickin way."  Weiss shook his head but his resolve was fading.

"Bottom line, Eric: if you want me on this op, you're my handler.  You come to all meetings and briefings.  You're in on the planning, and you have equal share in any decisions."

The rate at which Weiss was shaking his head gradually slowed down until it stopped altogether.  Jess moved closer to him and looked up into his eyes.  "Please, Eric.  I need to know that there is someone looking out for me, and **only** me."

Weiss started shaking his head again.  "You're a bitch, Jess.  You could talk me into skydiving with just an umbrella, I swear to God."

Jess smiled, "But you still love me."

Weiss chuckled lightly, "Not by choice." 


End file.
